


Pain from Another Dimension

by Jaw_Titan



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Dimensions, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, DarkSparks, Enjoy the pain, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25598884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaw_Titan/pseuds/Jaw_Titan
Summary: Not all alternate dimensions are nearly similar, and not all of them have a happy ending.—A Wraith from an alternate dimension pays a visit to Renee and Natalie, searching for some closure for pain that has been lingering for years.
Relationships: Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	Pain from Another Dimension

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So my best friend and I came up with this idea, and they helped me write and edit this piece. This is my first Darksparks fanfic, but definitely not my first time writing. Tell me how y'all like it and I hope you do enjoy it! ...Aside from the angst. Suffer from the angst.

Starting out in a new relationship could be complicated, messy, awkward, and all things in between. It took time for people to adjust to their new significant other — Such as adjusting their schedules, working in times they can have a night out, and not spending  _ too _ much time together. For Natalie and Renee, though, that was a different story. 

Before Natalie, commonly known as the Legend Wattson, had joined the games, she had watched the Apex Games on live television. She held great admiration for most, if not all, of the Legends. One specific contender had caught her eye, that person being a woman who only went by the name “Wraith”. She was mysterious, though not at all cold towards the viewers and fans. In matches, she could be best described as an Apex Predator. Wraith was one of the top Legends in both kills and wins, so it was no shock that she was extremely popular. 

One of said fans obviously now included Natalie, but over time, her feelings when watching Wraith on screen had developed more into a little crush. Once she had joined the games and became a Legend herself, she didn’t really have all that much time interacting with Wraith. Eventually, they were put on the same squad together for an upcoming match. It quickly became apparent to them both that they were compatible as friends as they had gotten along easily. This was no surprise to any of the other Legends as anyone could see it from a mile away. Anytime they were together, one could even say that you could see the sparks fly between them.

Not long after did Wraith, who revealed her name as Renee to Natalie and Natalie only, ask her out on a date. How they had gotten together and what had happened during that time wasn’t important at this time. As mentioned earlier, it was entirely different for them. Both of them felt at ease with each other, not a single awkward moment aside from occasional embarrassment from romantic confessions. 

The only person who was astonished and a bit puzzled by their relationship was Renee herself. Not because Natalie was a difficult girl to like; absolutely not. The reason being was that the voices had told her things— The other Wraiths. They had never seen Natalie in their dimensions, some gave warnings as they had no information about her, others encouraged the relationship. It didn’t hit them at all until a few days after when one had done some research and discovered that in nearly every other dimension, Natalie had a tragic accident in which she did not survive.

The scars Natalie wore on her face, traveling down her neck, shoulder, and all the way to the tips of her fingers was all the evidence she had left of her accident in the current dimension. There was less than a 1% chance she should have survived, and this was simply that. The other Wraiths now told Renee to cherish their relationship, some even throwing out the occasional jealous comment that she had Natalie all to herself. She had decided to not mention it to the electrician as to not alarm her or cause any more stress since after all, it didn’t seem to be of utmost importance.

Their relationship went smoothly for weeks before anything had occurred to them, though what was about to happen was entirely unexpected. It was one of the Legends’ days off and they could do whatever they pleased. All of the Legends had their own quarters in a large ship that was specifically designed for them. It was basically like living in a large common house. Currently, Renee was spending her time in Natalie’s room, laying on her bed and reading through articles in a magazine as the other girl worked on some sort of device at her desk; most likely something for the gear she took into the matches.

All was quiet for them, aside from the occasional buzzing and hissing from the wiring Natalie was working on. Sitting in silence was something they both also enjoyed; finding comfort in just simply being in each other's presence without the need to talk. Suddenly a portal to the void had appeared in the middle of the room, startling them both as Renee had not been the one to create it. Another Wraith stepped through the portal, and Natalie could only turn in her chair and stare, frozen in place.

“Nat, don’t move,” Renee spoke, acting quickly and grabbing the kunai from its place on the bed, something she never left without. She moved to stand between Natalie and the new visitor, gripping the weapon tightly as the portal closed and meeting the alternate Wraith’s gaze. This never happened, no matter what the reason was. She couldn’t always trust herself when it came to alternate dimensions as many of them could have bad intentions. Alternate dimensions weren’t always nearly similar, which is exactly why it was an alternate dimension. Only one had done that so freely, that being the Voidwalker from all those years ago.

This alternate Wraith looked far more exhausted and worn out than her, clearly bearing the weight of something more than just her lost identity. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, long and untamed. It was as if she no longer tried so hard to keep up appearances. She wore what looked to be black jeans, worn down to a significant degree. It was the same for the combat boots, and really her entire outfit was matching with the general mood she brought. A leather black jacket that fit a bit too large on her and a dark grey t-shirt beneath it. This Wraith looked more like a rogue outlander rather than the famous Apex Predator. The one item that stood out above all was a simple silver necklace; a small charm in the shape of a lightning bolt hanging from it. 

“Wait,” Alternate Wraith spoke out, hands raising up and out to show that she had no intention of fighting. “I’m not here to hurt you. Either of you.” Her eyes traveled past Renee and settled on Natalie. Her expression softened, eyebrows raising just a tad as she looked her over. Her shoulders dropped and her hands slightly fell from their position. Renee caught the looks and snapped her finger, pointing the kunai back to her alternate self. 

“Over here. You saying that doesn’t mean I can trust you. What the hell did you come to this dimension for?” Renee questioned, jumping straight to the point while also taking a step back to offer more cover to Natalie. Alternate Wraith frowned as her view was somewhat blocked, her weary gaze going back to Renee.

“Come on. It’s not that difficult to figure out. You know how it is with Natalie in the other dimensions.” The electrician’s name hasn’t been spoken by her in what seemed to be lifetimes, causing her mouth to feel dry. She almost held her breath as her chest tightened, brows furrowing at how weak she was just from saying her name. She was no more than six feet away and yet she wanted nothing more to be close to her. 

“What about me in other dimensions?” Natalie finally spoke, though her voice was timid and hesitant, almost as if speaking would cause more tension in the situation. Renee tore her gaze from Alternate Wraith for just a split second to look back to her girlfriend. 

“Don’t worry about it. We can discuss that later. That still doesn’t clear things up. I’m going to need a better explanation for that before I make another portal and shove you back in.” It was clear by the Legend’s words that she was exceedingly protective over Wattson. Perhaps if this happened when Natalie wasn’t in the room, she wouldn’t have been as hostile. Alternate Wraith also seemed hesitant to answer, but not because it was some sort of secret. The pain that she had been pushing down was rising up quicker than she had expected it to. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to start giving some answers soon before she was kicked out of the room.

“I met Natalie before the accident. I was in a relationship with her for over two years. I,” Alternate Wraith swallowed, almost as if every word she spoke was a challenge on its own. “We were engaged. I just came here for some… Closure. I wanted to talk to her. Just give me thirty minutes with her, please. I promise I’ll leave the moment my time is up. I don’t have any weapons on me, you can check if you’d like.”

What she was saying made no sense to the blonde, but it was clear that something traumatic had happened to her. She wanted to know the story behind it, and she would do anything to help Wraith, no matter what dimension she came from. Before Renee could respond, Natalie stood and put a hand on her shoulder, stepping out and in front of her. 

“Relax. I can take care of myself,  chérie. Let us have some time together. You can wait outside the room and I’ll yell for you if it comes down to that, okay?” She comforted her girlfriend in a soothing tone, her thumb stroking over her shoulder. Renee was still a bit tense, taking glances between Natalie and Alternate Wraith before caving in. She couldn’t refuse any of her requests, especially when she spoke to her so sweetly. It was one of her greatest weaknesses. 

Renee sighed, raising a hand to cup Natalie’s cheek, the blonde leaning into her touch. She gave a short nod before reluctantly pulling away, begrudgingly walking past the both of them; kunai in hand. With one last look back she opened the sliding door to her room, stepping out and closing it behind her. She leaned on it, prepared to barge in at any given moment while she waited. Inside, Natalie bit her bottom lip as she looked to this new Wraith, fidgeting with her hands as she sat back down in her chair.

“You can sit on my bed. I don’t want to make you stand the entire time,” She offered. Wraith almost couldn’t process the words but her body followed with the offer, walking over to the edge of the bed and taking a seat. It remained quiet for a few moments as the dark haired woman simply stared at her. 

“So, would you mind telling me the whole reason behind your unexpected visit?” 

“I,” Wraith could only get out that one word before she slouched, a hand covering her mouth as she could only take in the realization that this was the real Natalie sitting in front of her. Hardly anything had changed with her. Her accent, her curly blonde locks, her ocean blue eyes. The only thing different being that damned scar that covered over her left cheek and traveled down her neck. Yet even then, she managed to make a scar like that look beautiful. She couldn’t see the full extent of it, as Natalie was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of overalls. God, even her style hadn’t changed one bit. 

Explanation. She owed her an in depth explanation. Concentrate.

“We met out in a market. You were shopping for your father and we bumped into each other. It was one of those cliche situations that you always hear about,” Wraith stifled a soft laugh, “I made you drop some of your groceries. I helped you pick them up, and we just started talking. One thing led to another and we ended up in a relationship. We were together for a year and a half before I proposed to you.” 

Natalie’s hands stilled, her own mood becoming affected by Wraith as she spoke. Even though her story was starting out simple and short, something behind her words held more power than she had ever heard. It was difficult for her to pick up on these types of things at times, but this was different. To hear that she had been with Wraith for that long in another dimension made it seem like they were truly meant for each other, even though she and her own Wraith were only a few weeks into their relationship.

“We planned the wedding out and everything. It was small, we weren’t going to invite many people. I wasn’t in the Apex Games yet, either. You had your father, a couple of your friends. It was just going to be something for us. We were satisfied with something that wasn’t going to be that complicated or expensive. We didn’t need the flashiness that most other couples desired. But then,” Her voice trailed off, nearly breaking. 

Wraith’s hand gripped at the fabric of her pants, tight enough that her knuckles turned white. She had to look away from her now, staring at the floor; straining to keep herself from tearing up so soon. 

“Your father died a week before our wedding day. It was difficult for both of us, but especially for you. I’m sure you know. You went through the same thing. You worked and worked, and you refused to leave your workshop. I tried to comfort you; to offer you anything, but there wasn’t much I could do. I understood that, I still do. You needed time to grieve, and I’d let you come to me whenever you were ready.”

Being reminded of her father was still somewhat a touchy subject. Natalie preferred to keep things bottled up rather than speak much of them, and this Wraith knew that already. Distractions such as work helped. Usually when she was stressed or frustrated, she’d work on mathematical problems, as silly as that may sound. It was something she enjoyed doing, and finding the solution to a problem was satisfying. 

Natalie’s heart was racing now, and it just occurred to her why. She knew this story. She knew what happened next, even if Wraith wasn’t with her at the time. The tone of her voice was beyond worrying, and she could only guess what happened. It wasn’t something she wanted to admit, and she was doing everything she could, to think of some other outcome to the situation that was unfolding in the narrative.

All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears as Wraith sat unnaturally stiff, her eyes empty and yet filled with unbearable pain. As she continued, there was a certain vacantness in her tone now, unreadable to Natalie. 

“It was late. I brought you some dinner, but you weren’t hungry. You were working on something that I didn’t really understand at the time, but apparently it was dangerous and you weren’t wearing protective gloves.”

“It’s a bad habit of mine. Sometimes I have the idea for the project and I just have to rush to get it done before I forget,” Natalie quietly interjected. Wraith looked up to her and gave a tired smile, but just barely, then nodding.

“Yeah. I know.” 

It was quiet again. The smile on Wraith’s lips faded, her brows knitting together as she did her best to continue.

“You told me you’d come to bed in just a couple minutes. I gave you a kiss on the cheek and left you to it. I was heading to the bedroom and then there was a crack and the electricity went out. It took me a moment to realize what had happened, and then I ran back to the room and you... You.” 

Wraith blinked, her mouth slightly open as she struggled with the words. She swallowed dryly and looked to the side.

“You were on the floor. I could barely see your outline, it was so dark. It was so dark and I tripped when I tried to get over to you. I grabbed you and I held you. You weren’t awake and you were barely breathing. I wanted to stay, but I had to call for an ambulance. I got up and stumbled around, I grabbed your phone and called. I sat there on the floor with you in my arms.”

One of her arms went to hug around her own mid-section, her muscles aching in discomfort from the reminder.

“They didn’t get there fast enough. It didn’t take long before you stopped breathing. I tried to resuscitate you but I couldn’t. I did everything I should have, Nat. I tried so hard but.” Wraith’s voice finally began to break, “I shouldn’t have left you like that. I could’ve told you to put on your gloves. I could’ve — I could’ve done  _ something _ and it wouldn’t have killed you. I.”

Her other hand went back over her mouth as she choked back a sob, eyes shutting as tears began to spill over. 

“I’m so sorry,” Her voice was shaky and barely comprehensible, and Natalie could only sit there with widened eyes. She had gone through the same thing but someone had found her. The ambulance arrived on time and she was brought back, though the recovery was lengthy and painful. She knew she was incredibly lucky to have survived, but to imagine that there was a dimension in which she not only died, but also caused the suffering of a person she loved— That was something else entirely.

On instinct, Natalie stood up and walked over to her hunched figure, sliding her hands over her shoulders and immediately pulling her in close. Wraith could feel her breath stop, heart throbbing in agony at the touch from the person that should have been her wife. They should have been starting their life together. Maybe she wouldn’t have joined the games, as much as she craved to know the secrets of her past, there were other ways to do it. Domestic life was never quite her style but with Natalie, she would do anything for her in a millisecond. 

“Nat,” Wraith stifled out, only to be shushed as a hand went to the back of her head. Natalie’s fingers tangled into her hair, gently rubbing while she bent down a bit to press her cheek to the top of her head. 

“It wasn’t your fault. You know that. I survived by chance, and it was my own stupid decision.” Natalie was now struggling to keep herself from crying with her, but she had to be strong in this moment for her. She moved one hand to gently tilt her chin up, looking at Wraith’s wearied expression and into her pale grey eyes. She cupped her cheek and used her thumb to wipe away the tears, offering a half smile.

“I know it’s different, but I’m here now. I should have never pushed you away like that, and I’m sorry. You know that if I could change the outcome, I would. The last thing I would ever want to do is leave you.”

Wraith continued with her tears, fighting to catch her breath as she listened to her. Her vision was blurry, but she could still see Natalie’s smile. Everything she could even compare it to was just cheesy. The sun pushing through on a cloudy day, the stars twinkling brightly at night, or even the flashes of warm light that came from fireflies on a summer evening. It was pure happiness. 

  
“I’m here for you. You know where I am, and you’re welcome to come visit me whenever you need it. I’ll do whatever you’d like me to.” Natalie leaned down and pressed her lips to the Alternate Wraith’s forehead, holding herself there as the other’s arms now hugged tightly around her waist. She nodded against her and tried to take deeper breaths, fingers clenching around the fabric of the blonde’s overalls.

This was all she needed. All she needed was to feel her one last time, to hear her voice, to hear her say that everything would be okay. The fingers running through her hair were so familiar, and yet it was still difficult to comprehend. This was Natalie, but it wasn’t  _ her _ Natalie. Nevertheless, this satisfied something within her and she was able to calm herself down. Even as her tears went away and her grip loosened, they remained like that for minutes. Minutes that felt as though they passed within seconds.

It was the ending she never got. She didn’t get to hear Natalie’s last words, she could only remember the faint wheezing from her lungs before her last, dying breath. She could only remember clutching her lifeless body, having no response from the girl whatsoever, but now she was being held back. Being held by the person who was once her lover. Saying goodbye the first time was difficult and excruciating, and although it was nearly as difficult now, the pain within her was finally soothed over. Years of agony that gnawed at her heart was settling down, giving her a long awaited sense of relief.

Wraith eventually pulled her head back again, sniffing one last time before going to stand. Natalie took a few steps back to give her the room, though the other’s hands remained resting on her waist. 

“Thank you. I’m sorry if I caused any trouble.” Wraith was quickly cut off.

“It was no trouble at all. You deserve a better ending.” Natalie didn’t hesitate to pull her in to a full hug, arms wrapped around her neck. Wraith squeezed her eyes shut and held her tightly as well, taking in everything. The feel of Natalie’s face pressed into her jaw, the feel of her clothing against her hands, even the same smell of her that reminded her of home. Natalie was her home.

Wraith was the one to pull back again, looking directly at her with a small smile now on her face. 

“I should go. You’ve done more for me than I could have ever asked for. Besides, I may take you up on that offer to visit. So long as your Wraith doesn’t threaten me every time.” She gave a weak laugh, Natalie’s smile growing wider at hearing her.

“Of course. You’re welcome to see me any time.” Natalie slid her hand to cup her face once more, pushing some dark hair behind her ear. Wraith sighed softly and leaned into her hand before allowing her hands to slide off from the electrician. She backed up, wavering slightly as she lifted her hand, opening a portal. They didn’t say anything else, simply sharing one last look before Wraith stepped into the void, disappearing as it closed behind her.

Once she was gone, Natalie stood still, taking in everything once more. She crossed her arms, one hand going to her mouth as she bit down on a finger. It was a lot and it pained her to think that the situation Alternate Wraith was in may not be the only one. It then crossed her mind that she was still alive, and her future was yet to be set in stone. From this encounter, the only thing she could tell for her future was that she wanted Renee in it.

She walked towards her bedroom door, opening it and seeing Renee nearly pacing as she waited. She looked up, then behind Natalie to see that her alternate self had disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief, clipping her kunai to her belt just in time to be embraced by her girlfriend.

“Hah, woah. Hey, what happened? Did she hurt you?” Renee asked with a small sense of urgency, her arms wrapping around her tightly. Natalie shook her head and buried her face into her neck, holding herself back from crying now. After a moment, she pulled back and connected their lips, her hands going to hold Renee’s face as she tilted her head.

Renee blinked in surprise but quickly closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss and her hands settling onto Natalie’s waist. The kiss was passionate but innocent, giving a sense of longing for something that wasn’t even missing. Natalie pulled away from the kiss, but left the tips of their noses touching and kept her eyes closed.

“I promise to wear gloves all the time now,” She spoke just barely under her breath. Renee was a bit perplexed as to the meaning behind the abrupt kiss and statement, though she wasn’t going to complain about the kiss.

“Right. Yeah, okay. You’ll have to tell me what happened in there.” Natalie nodded again in agreement, knowing that telling her was inevitable. Renee gave her hips a light squeeze before guiding her backwards into the bedroom; shutting the door behind them. 

Natalie would keep her promise. No matter how little the experiment may be or how frustrating it was to work with extra layers on her hands, but the last thing she ever wanted to do was leave Renee behind. They were going to have a future together, and she would do everything in her power to make sure of that.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Well! Yeah. That hurt to write. Anyways! Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to leave kudos, maybe a comment, and follow my Twitter if you'd like! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Twitter:  
> @jaw__titan


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